Remembrance Day: How do we Remember?

On November 11, we take time to remember those who have served and made sacrifices for Canada during times of war and conflict. But how do we remember? And what does this tell us about our society, history and culture? Explore these e-books and e-resources from UBC Library’s collections which invite us to broaden our understanding around topics of war, memory, and commemoration.

	War Memories: Commemoration, Recollections, and Writings on War by Stéphanie A.H. Bélanger and Renée Dickason \| e-book link Offers an international perspective on war commemoration, focusing on how patriotic fervour, resistance, conscientious objection, injury, trauma, and propaganda contribute to the shaping of individual and collective memory.
	War Memory and Commemoration, edited by Brad West \| e-book link Presents studies of commemorative practices from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and the Middle East, and illustrates the power of new commemorative forms to shape the world.
	Battlefield Events: Landscape, Commemoration, and Heritage, edited by Geoffrey R. Reeves, Laura James Bird, Birger Stichelbaut, and Jean Bourgeois \| e-book link Charts landscapes of war and processes of remembering at these places has influenced the management of these warscapes in the present day. With chapters from authors based in seven different countries on three continents and comparative case studies.
	Memory, Place and Identity: Commemoration and Remembrance of War and Conflict, edited by Danielle Drozdzewski, Sarah De Nardi and Emma Waterton \| e-book link This book examines how diverse publics relate to their wartime histories through engagements with everyday collective memories through a multidisciplinary perspective, with insights from history, memory studies, social psychology, cultural and urban geography.
	Remembering the First World War, edited by Bart Ziino \| e-book Link Brings together a group of international scholars to understand how and why the past quarter of a century has witnessed such an extraordinary increase in global popular and academic interest in the First World War.
	Forgotten Warriors, directed by Loretta Todd \| Streaming Video Link Although they could not be conscripted, when World War II was declared, thousands of Indigenous Canadian men and women enlisted and fought alongside their non-Indigenous countrymen. Ironically, they fought for freedom for others while being denied equality in their own country. With narrator Gordon Tootoosis providing an historical overview, Indigenous veterans poignantly share their unforgettable war memories and their healing process.

Want to learn more about Remembrance Day? UBC Library has a wealth of other primary resources.

Check out the First World War database that brings together digitized historical materials, including diaries, letters, posters, as well as digitized everyday artifacts that the user can explore in 3 dimensions virtually.

Or to get more insight into the daily lives of those who lived through wars, browse through Mass Observation Online, an archive of diaries and field notes recorded in a revolutionary social research project between 1937-1965 that enlisted citizen volunteers to document their everyday experiences and observations.

You can also explore the World War I and II poster collection and the World War I British press photograph collection from Rare Books and Special Collections at UBC Library, hosted on our Open Collections platform.

Take part in UBC’s own commemoration event, a virtual Remembrance Day Ceremony on November 11th at 10:45am. You can watch the livestream here.

	War Memories: Commemoration, Recollections, and Writings on War by Stéphanie A.H. Bélanger and Renée Dickason \| e-book link Offers an international perspective on war commemoration, focusing on how patriotic fervour, resistance, conscientious objection, injury, trauma, and propaganda contribute to the shaping of individual and collective memory.
	War Memory and Commemoration, edited by Brad West \| e-book link Presents studies of commemorative practices from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and the Middle East, and illustrates the power of new commemorative forms to shape the world.
	Battlefield Events: Landscape, Commemoration, and Heritage, edited by Geoffrey R. Reeves, Laura James Bird, Birger Stichelbaut, and Jean Bourgeois \| e-book link Charts landscapes of war and processes of remembering at these places has influenced the management of these warscapes in the present day. With chapters from authors based in seven different countries on three continents and comparative case studies.
	Memory, Place and Identity: Commemoration and Remembrance of War and Conflict, edited by Danielle Drozdzewski, Sarah De Nardi and Emma Waterton \| e-book link This book examines how diverse publics relate to their wartime histories through engagements with everyday collective memories through a multidisciplinary perspective, with insights from history, memory studies, social psychology, cultural and urban geography.
	Remembering the First World War, edited by Bart Ziino \| e-book Link Brings together a group of international scholars to understand how and why the past quarter of a century has witnessed such an extraordinary increase in global popular and academic interest in the First World War.
	Forgotten Warriors, directed by Loretta Todd \| Streaming Video Link Although they could not be conscripted, when World War II was declared, thousands of Indigenous Canadian men and women enlisted and fought alongside their non-Indigenous countrymen. Ironically, they fought for freedom for others while being denied equality in their own country. With narrator Gordon Tootoosis providing an historical overview, Indigenous veterans poignantly share their unforgettable war memories and their healing process.